The python's body coiled slightly, then sprang forward with a sudden thrust.
Its speed was comparable to a high-speed train.
Don't mistake snakes for slow-moving creatures just because they lack legs. Venomous snakes like the black mamba can reach speeds of sixty to seventy kilometers per hour in the desert, rivaling even the cheetah.
This colossal serpent, leveraging its immense size, lunged forward, directly at Ling Tian.
In a flash, Ling Tian pushed off the ground, his body instantly shifting more than two meters away, evading the python's strike.
Before his feet could touch the ground, he heard the rush of wind. The python's tail was viciously lashing towards his waist.
Ling Tian tensed his core, lightly tapped the ground with his feet, and executed a backflip, dodging the tail's attack.
However, just then, a gaping maw lunged towards his landing spot!
"Damn it!"
Ling Tian swore aloud. This was no ordinary venomous snake. Its attacks defied natural instinct; each movement was a calculated, sequential maneuver, a series of traps!
In a critical moment, Ling Tian, still airborne, ripped off a peach wood bracelet from his left wrist.
The bracelet had seven beads, each the size of a grape.
Intricate formations were carved onto each bead.
These beads were known as "Fireburst Spirit Beads"!
Each bead was inscribed with a formation, a fortified version of the explosive fire talisman.
Peach wood, being a highly yang material, allowed these wooden beads to store significantly more energy than talismans.
Upon detonation, each bead, in addition to generating intense heat like a fire talisman, possessed an explosive power comparable to a melon hand grenade!
They were made into a bracelet for convenience. Normally, one would detach them one by one for use. But now, in this desperate, life-or-death situation, Ling Tian couldn't afford such caution. He directly infused them with his true essence and hurled them.
The seven Fireburst Spirit Beads struck the python's head almost simultaneously, detonating less than two meters from Ling Tian.
Concurrently, the immense concussive force of the explosions sent Ling Tian flying backward, the blast wave propelling him over five meters away.
During this trajectory, white light flashed across Ling Tian's body. The sudden release of energy neutralized the shockwave from the explosions.
A stack of Vajra Talismans Ling Tian carried were all detonated by the blast's aftershock.
Without the protection of these Vajra Talismans, Ling Tian would likely have suffered fatal internal injuries from the shock.
The giant python fared even worse. Two of the beads had landed directly in its mouth. The massive explosions blew off its lower jaw, leaving only half of its head intact!
The front half of the python's body was a bloody mess, scales flying everywhere!
The intense pain caused the snake to writhe uncontrollably on the ground, sending rocks flying and leaving the scene in utter disarray.
Ling Tian landed heavily on the ground, but he dared not delay. He scrambled to his feet with all his might and sprinted more than ten meters away, wary of being accidentally injured by the thrashing serpent.
Only then did he feel as if his internal organs had shifted. His head was buzzing, and suddenly, a sweet sensation flooded his throat. He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Ling Tian let out a wry smile. He had only been down the mountain for a short while, and he had already encountered consecutive formidable enemies.
The powerful vengeful spirit, Daoist Master Hu, the man with his endlessly strange techniques, and these two incredibly dangerous giant snakes!
If he hadn't had so many masters, if his masters hadn't prepared so many trump cards for him, he would have already met his maker!
Even these minor adversaries could put him in such a sorry state. He was still a long way from avenging the Ling family.
But for now, he couldn't afford to dwell on such thoughts. He had to find a way to deal with the dangerous snake before him!
Considering that this creature had been hit by seven Fireburst Spirit Beads, equivalent to seven hand grenades, and was still writhing so vigorously, unable to die immediately, its vitality was truly astonishing.
Ling Tian rummaged through his pockets and finally pulled out a talisman.
This talisman was unusual because the paper it was made from was purple!
It wasn't ordinary yellow spirit paper, but a special paper crafted from the fibers of a plant called "Thunder Fire Vine."
The pigment used to draw this talisman was not cinnabar, but a silver-like powder.
Silver light flowed across the entire talisman, indicating that it contained immense energy.
This was a talisman of immense power, so potent that Ling Tian was reluctant to use it himself.
It was a talisman painstakingly created by his teacher, Celestial Master Dao Yuan.
Even the current Ling Tian might not have the ability to create such a talisman.
Of course, theoretically, the talisman's full power would be unleashed when used during thunderstorms.
Although it wasn't raining, the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth attracted by the spirit gathering formation above this valley was sufficient to activate the talisman's power.
Ling Tian injected his true essence into the talisman. The talisman greedily absorbed the true essence from his body.
Finally, after expending nearly half of his internal true essence, the entire thunder talisman lit up.
The talisman floated into the air, about three meters above the ground, directly over the struggling python.
At this moment, an invisible energy was released from the talisman directly into the sky.
Soon, a massive vortex appeared in the sky above.
Seeing this, Ling Tian turned and fled.
He had run barely a hundred meters when he heard a crack. In the otherwise clear night sky, a lightning bolt as thick as a water bucket suddenly appeared.
The lightning struck the python squarely.
With a thunderous "boom!", the resulting shockwave once again sent Ling Tian tumbling to the ground over a hundred meters away.
At the same time, dark clouds churned in the sky, only to vanish without a trace moments later.
Ling Tian, mustering his courage, approached the spot where the lightning had struck.
When he got close, the scene before him stunned him.
On the ground, a crater more than a meter deep and over a meter in diameter had appeared out of nowhere.
The air was filled with the smell of burning and ozone, and the giant python had been blown into a pile of shredded meat.
Within a fifty-meter radius of the crater, almost all vegetation had been obliterated!
Ling Tian felt a pang of fear. If he hadn't sensed the danger and fled in time, he too would have been caught in the lightning's wrath.
The power of this lightning was clearly not something a mortal like him could withstand!
Ling Tian checked the vicinity, ensuring no other venomous snakes or similar threats remained. As he was about to leave, the jade pendant he wore on his chest suddenly grew hot.